Zeeko...looks like a cool kite and if I get a chance I'll give it a whirl. I think the low weight matched with stiffness is critical actually...i.e. if you can keep the wing shape rigid and it is still very light you're onto a good thing. If it's floppy when flying then I probably wouldn't like it and if it is floppy when it hits the water (as they all do eventually) then I think it is likely to be a mare to handle in a deep water pack down and swim scenario. And, yes, I fly tubes (mostly North) and foils (mostly Flysurfer). New materials and designs might make new things possible though and it's great to see people pushing the limits...

I have tried almost every light wind kite that has come down the pike. Naish V4 30m, had one and the 25 as well. Gaastra 26m Phoenix, all the big Flysurfers, Ozone Zephyr, Dyno 18 and 15. I have spent tens of thousands on light wind kites. Because I have more money than time.

The best kite for light wind that I have tried is the 21m Speed 3. It is not a foil thing, it is just one powerful kite with a huge range. I fly it on the snow in wind ranging from 6 - 25 mph and I weigh 175.

I think the reason that the Speed 3 is so good is that Flysurfer has invested more hours in the study of light wind kites than any other kite manufacturer. FS has been consistently working on light wind kites for years. For other companies light wind kites are a passing fad or byline. For FS it is their core business.

Not much to pump...3 struts + leading edge....2 1/2 minutes at most by hand pump to inflate

Deflating a big LW tube is quite faster than getting that huge amount of pillow air (1 psi).......

....trapped between the twinskins...and get it "all out" of those 2 small deflate velcro valves flaps

The reason for using a large foil for LW is becoming virtually unnecessary in this day an age

............ ..............

These are valid arguments

I've flown also and had all the big kites.
My first big one was in 2002 the Gutless F-One Mach1 18.1m
and the worst upwind machine was the 23m switchblade.
Seems like LEI caught up with foil types as far as weight,
but I'm still questioning the relaunch, upwind and wind range attributes,
which are very important for me
If the new 21m Zeeko has all the benefit of the 21m Speed3, than congratulations

+21 with Fermanus. I had the Naish Aero 30M, V25 and on and on. The ONLY Kite than can KEEP me upwind, not just be able to go say downwind, BUT stay upwind in Ultra light wind is the Speed 3 21M in the Ocean w Current, DRIFT ETC. Remember I'm in the Clydesdale Division.

For me it also takes longer to deflate the 21 vs a Inflatable. Wish it didn't.